Shanghai Museum Silk Road Coins Exhibit

In 2004,the Shanghai Museum put together an exhibit of coins from places along the old Silk Roads. These coins reflect the areas they came from in both language and designs.

Jin Coins cast bronze

Zhou Imperial Cast Coins BCE Chinese cast bronze coins in a spade form with a hollow handle emerged no later than the Spring & Autumn period ( BCE) The Zhou royal family cast & used flat or hollow handled spade coins until the Warring States Period ( BCE) Then they began to cast square footed spade coins

Look at the designs of the next coin. Where do you think it came from based on those designs ?

How far did coins travel along the Silk Roads at this time ?

Using the previous map and the coins in the next slide, make a guess about where these coins came from.

Where do these coins look like they came from ?

What language appears on these coins ?

Islamic Coins

Greek ?

How accurate is the following map ? Consider that the map maker had probably never visited the area he was drawing.